Rally at UN in Geneva
Rally at UN in GenevaMichael Thaidigsmann

Some one thousand demonstrators gathered in Geneva on Monday to rally outside of the United Nations offices in support of Israel.

Participants, both Jewish and Christian, came from a dozen countries across Europe, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland

Inside the Palace of Nations, members of the UN Human Rights Council were debating Israel and the recently published Commission of Inquiry’s report into Operation Protective Edge, which accused Israel of committing "war crimes."

Expressing their support for the Jewish state, the demonstrators urged the UN to treat Israel fairly. 

"The reason we are here today is to tell the United Nations that it needs to change," World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer stressed. "It needs to overcome its obsession with Israel."

"This obsession is destructive and it stands in the way of an effective human rights policy that is so badly needed,” Singer added.

Insisting that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, Singer asserted: “Gaza is still an occupied territory, but the occupier is not Israel. It’s a terrorist movement called Hamas.”

"That’s because blaming Israel for every woe has become a sport. Not just here at the UN, but here especially.”

The World Jewish Congress, along with dozens of other pro-Israel and Jewish organizations from Europe and the United States, organized the event.